Invariant Charge Carrier Dynamics Using a Non-Planar Non-Fullerene Acceptor across Multiple Processing Solvents.

Conventional non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) typically have planar structures that can enable improved electron mobility and produce more efficient organic photovoltaic devices. A relatively simple A-D-A'-D-A type NFA specifically designed to match with poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) for green-absorbing agrivoltaic applications has been examined using a variety of techniques: microsecond transient absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence. Relatively invariant charge carrier decay dynamics are observed in the blend films across a variety of processing solvents. Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with computational studies reveals that this NFA is non-planar and that multiple conformations are present in films, while preserving the crystalline nature of P3HT. The non-planarity of the NFA therefore creates a dispersive acceptor environment, irrespective of processing solvent, and this leads to the observed relative invariance in charge carrier decay dynamics and high tolerance to morphological variation. The findings presented in this work highlight the potential of non-planar materials as acceptors in organic photovoltaic devices.

Elucidating the Onset of Cross-Protective Immunity after Intranasal Vaccination with the Attenuated African Swine Fever Vaccine Candidate BA71ΔCD2.

African swine fever (ASF) is a deadly disease of swine currently causing a worldwide pandemic, leading to severe economic consequences for the porcine industry. The control of disease spread is hampered by the limitation of available effective vaccines. Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are currently the most advanced vaccine prototypes, providing strong protection against ASF. However, the significant advances achieved using LAVs must be complemented with further studies to analyze vaccine-induced immunity. Here, we characterized the onset of cross-protective immunity triggered by the LAV candidate BA71ΔCD2. Intranasally vaccinated pigs were challenged with the virulent Georgia 2007/1 strain at days 3, 7 and 12 postvaccination. Only the animals vaccinated 12 days before the challenge had effectively controlled infection progression, showing low virus loads, minor clinical signs and a lack of the unbalanced inflammatory response characteristic of severe disease. Contrarily, the animals vaccinated 3 or 7 days before the challenge just showed a minor delay in disease progression. An analysis of the humoral response and whole blood transcriptome signatures demonstrated that the control of infection was associated with the presence of virus-specific IgG and a cytotoxic response before the challenge. These results contribute to our understanding of protective immunity induced by LAV-based vaccines, encouraging their use in emergency responses in ASF-affected areas.

Ophthalmic drug effects on the amyloidogenesis of a transforming growth factor ß-induced protein (TGFBIp) peptide fragment.

Drugs that can treat one disease may either be detrimental or beneficial toward another due to possible cross-interactions. Therefore, care in choosing a suitable drug for patients with multiple diseases is crucial in successful patient management. This study explores several currently available ophthalmic drugs used to treat common ocular diseases to understand how they can affect the amyloidogenesis of a transforming growth factor ß-induced protein (TGFBIp) peptide fragment found in abundance in the corneal protein aggregation deposits of lattice corneal dystrophy (LCD) patients. Results from this study provided supporting evidence that some drugs intended to treat other diseases can enhance or inhibit fibrillar aggregation of TGFBIp peptide, which may have potential implication of affecting the disease progression of LCD by either worsening or ameliorating it. Comparisons of the different properties of ophthalmic compounds explored in this study may also provide some guidance for future design of drugs geared toward the treatment of LCD.

Mechanistic Study on Artificial Stabilization of Lithium Metal Anode via Thermal Pyrolysis of Ammonium Fluoride in Lithium Metal Batteries.

The use of the "Holy Grail" lithium metal anode is pivotal to achieve superior energy density. However, the practice of a lithium metal anode faces practical challenges due to the thermodynamic instability of lithium metal and dendrite growth. Herein, an artificial stabilization of lithium metal was carried out via the thermal pyrolysis of the NH4F salt, which generates HF(g) and NH3(g). An exposure of lithium metal to the generated gas induces a spontaneous reaction that forms multiple solid electrolyte interface (SEI) components, such as LiF, Li3N, Li2NH, LiNH2, and LiH, from a single salt. The artificially multilayered protection on lithium metal (AF-Li) sustains stable lithium stripping/plating. It suppresses the Li dendrite under the Li||Li symmetric cell. The half-cell Li||Cu and Li||MCMB systems depicted the attributions of the protective layer. We demonstrate that the desirable protective layer in AF-Li exhibited remarkable capacity retention (CR) results. LiFePO4 (LFP) showed a CR of 90.6% at 0.5 mA cm-2 after 280 cycles, and LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NCM523) showed 58.7% at 3 mA cm-2 after 410 cycles. Formulating the multilayered protection, with the simultaneous formation of multiple SEI components in a facile and cost-effective approach from NH4F as a single salt, made the system competent.

PDADMAC/Alginate-Coated Gold Nanorod For Eradication of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms.

Introduction: Over 75% of clinical microbiological infections are caused by bacterial biofilms that grow on wounds or implantable medical devices. This work describes the development of a new poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/alginate-coated gold nanorod (GNR/Alg/PDADMAC) that effectively disintegrates the biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a prominent pathogen responsible for hospital-acquired infections. Methods: GNR was synthesised via seed-mediated growth method, and the resulting nanoparticles were coated first with Alg and then PDADMAC. FTIR, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry analysis were performed to characterise the nanoparticles. The efficacy and speed of the non-coated GNR and GNR/Alg/PDADMAC in disintegrating S. aureus-preformed biofilms, as well as their in vitro biocompatibility (L929 murine fibroblast) were then studied. Results: The synthesised GNR/Alg/PDADMAC (mean length: 55.71 ± 1.15 nm, mean width: 23.70 ± 1.13 nm, aspect ratio: 2.35) was biocompatible and potent in eradicating preformed biofilms of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) when compared to triclosan, an antiseptic used for disinfecting S. aureus colonisation on abiotic surfaces in the hospital. The minimum biofilm eradication concentrations of GNR/Alg/PDADMAC (MBEC50 for MRSA biofilm = 0.029 nM; MBEC50 for MSSA biofilm = 0.032 nM) were significantly lower than those of triclosan (MBEC50 for MRSA biofilm = 10,784 nM; MBEC50 for MRSA biofilm 5967 nM). Moreover, GNR/Alg/PDADMAC was effective in eradicating 50% of MRSA and MSSA biofilms within 17 min when used at a low concentration (0.15 nM), similar to triclosan at a much higher concentration (50 µM). Disintegration of MRSA and MSSA biofilms was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Conclusion: These findings support the potential application of GNR/Alg/PDADMAC as an alternative agent to conventional antiseptics and antibiotics for the eradication of medically important MRSA and MSSA biofilms.

Immune-stealth VP28-conjugated heparin nanoparticles for enhanced and reversible anticoagulation.

Heparins are a family of sulfated linear negatively charged polysaccharides that have been widely used for their anticoagulant, antithrombotic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. Additionally, it has been used for acute cerebral infarction relief as well as other pharmacological actions. However, heparin's self-aggregated macrocomplex may reduce blood circulation time and induce life-threatening thrombocytopenia (HIT) complicating the use of heparins. Nonetheless, the conjugation of heparin to immuno-stealth biomolecules may overcome these obstacles. An immunostealth recombinant viral capsid protein (VP28) was expressed and conjugated with heparin to form a novel nanoparticle (VP28-heparin). VP28-heparin was characterized and tested to determine its immunogenicity, anticoagulation properties, effects on total platelet count, and risk of inducing HIT in animal models. The synthesized VP28-heparin trimeric nanoparticle was non-immunogenic, possessed an average hydrodynamic size (8.81 ± 0.58 nm) optimal for the evasion renal filtration and reticuloendothelial system uptake (hence prolonging circulating half-life). Additionally, VP28-heparin did not induce mouse death or reduce blood platelet count when administered at a high dosein vivo(hence reducing HIT risks). The VP28-heparin nanoparticle also exhibited superior anticoagulation properties (2.2× higher prothrombin time) and comparable activated partial thromboplastin time, but longer anticoagulation period when compared to unfractionated heparin. The anticoagulative effects of the VP28-heparin can also be reversed using protamine sulfate. Thus, VP28-heparin may be an effective and safe heparin derivative for therapeutic use.

Salmonella immunotherapy engineered with highly efficient tumor antigen coating establishes antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity and increases in antitumor efficacy with type I interferon combination therapy.

Bacteria-based cancer therapy employs various strategies to combat tumors, one of which is delivering tumor-associated antigen (TAA) to generate specific immunity. Here, we utilized a poly-arginine extended HPV E7 antigen (9RE7) for attachment on Salmonella SL7207 outer membrane to synthesize the bacterial vaccine Salmonella-9RE7 (Sal-9RE7), which yielded a significant improvement in the amount of antigen presentation compared to the previous lysine-extended antigen coating strategy. In TC-1 tumor mouse models, Sal-9RE7 monotherapy decreased tumor growth by inducing E7 antigen-specific immunity. In addition, pairing Sal-9RE7 with adjuvant Albumin-IFNß (Alb-IFNß), a protein cytokine fusion, the combination significantly increased the antitumor efficacy and enhanced immunogenicity in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our study made a significant contribution to personalized bacterial immunotherapy via TAA delivery and demonstrated the advantage of combination therapy.

Improvement of clinical wound microcirculation diagnosis using an object tracking-based laser speckle contrast imaging system.

Wound monitoring is crucial for effective healing, as nonhealing wounds can lead to tissue ulceration and necrosis. Evaluating wound recovery involves observing changes in angiogenesis. Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is vital for wound assessment due to its rapid imaging, high resolution, wide coverage, and noncontact properties. When using LSCI equipment, regions of interest (ROIs) must be delineated in lesion areas in images for quantitative analysis. However, patients with serious wounds cannot maintain constant postures because the affected areas are often associated with discomfort and pain. This leads to deviations between the drawn ROI and actual wound position when using LSCI for wound assessment, affecting the reliability of relevant assessments. To address these issues, we used the channel and spatial reliability tracker object tracking algorithm to develop an automatic ROI tracking function for LSCI systems. This algorithm is used to track and correct artificial movements in blood flow images, address the ROI position offset caused by the movement of the affected body part, increase the blood flow analysis accuracy, and improve the clinical applicability of LSCI systems. ROI tracking experiments were performed by simulating wounds, and the results showed that the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.134 to 0.976. Furthermore, the object within the ROI affected tracking performance. Clinical assessments across wound types showed ICCs ranging from 0.798 to 0.917 for acute wounds and 0.628-0.849 for chronic wounds. We also discuss factors affecting tracking performance and propose strategies to enhance implementation effectiveness.

MutSß protects common fragile sites by facilitating homology-directed repair at DNA double-strand breaks with secondary structures.

Common fragile sites (CFSs) are regions prone to chromosomal rearrangements, thereby contributing to tumorigenesis. Under replication stress (RS), CFSs often harbor under-replicated DNA regions at the onset of mitosis, triggering homology-directed repair known as mitotic DNA synthesis (MiDAS) to complete DNA replication. In this study, we identified an important role of DNA mismatch repair protein MutSß (MSH2/MSH3) in facilitating MiDAS and maintaining CFS stability. Specifically, we demonstrated that MutSß is required for the increased mitotic recombination induced by RS or FANCM loss at CFS-derived AT-rich and structure-prone sequences (CFS-ATs). We also found that MSH3 exhibits synthetic lethality with FANCM. Mechanistically, MutSß is required for homologous recombination (HR) especially when DNA double-strand break (DSB) ends contain secondary structures. We also showed that upon RS, MutSß is recruited to Flex1, a specific CFS-AT, in a PCNA-dependent but MUS81-independent manner. Furthermore, MutSß interacts with RAD52 and promotes RAD52 recruitment to Flex1 following MUS81-dependent fork cleavage. RAD52, in turn, recruits XPF/ERCC1 to remove DNA secondary structures at DSB ends, enabling HR/break-induced replication (BIR) at CFS-ATs. We propose that the specific requirement of MutSß in processing DNA secondary structures at CFS-ATs underlies its crucial role in promoting MiDAS and maintaining CFS integrity.

Heteroatom-Coordinated Palladium Molecular Catalysts for Sustainable Electrochemical Production of Hydrogen Peroxide.

Currently, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) manufacturing involves an energy-intensive anthraquinone technique that demands expensive solvent extraction and a multistep process with substantial energy consumption. In this work, we synthesized Pd-N4-CO, Pd-S4-NCO, and Pd-N2O2-C single-atom catalysts via an in situ synthesis approach involving heteroatom-rich ligands and activated carbon under mild reaction conditions. It reveals that palladium atoms interact strongly with heteroatom-rich ligands, which provide well-defined and uniform active sites for oxygen (O2) electrochemically reduced to hydrogen peroxide. Interestingly, the Pd-N4-CO electrocatalyst shows excellent performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of O2 to H2O2 via a two-electron transfer process in a base electrolyte, exhibiting a negligible amount of onset overpotential and >95% selectivity within a wide range of applied potentials. The electrocatalysts based on the activity and selectivity toward 2e- ORR follow the order Pd-N4-CO > Pd-N2O2-C > Pd-S4-NCO in agreement with the pull-push mechanism, which is the Pd center strongly coordinated with high electronegativity donor atoms (N and O atoms) and weakly coordinated with the intermediate *OOH to excellent selectivity and sustainable production of H2O2. According to density functional theory, Pd-N4 is the active site for selectivity toward H2O2 generation. This work provides an emerging technique for designing high-performance H2O2 electrosynthesis catalysts and the rational integration of several active sites for green and sustainable chemical synthesis via electrochemical processes.

Recent advances in the biological depolymerization and upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is favored for its exceptional properties and widespread daily use. This review highlights recent advancements that enable the development of biological tools for PET decomposition, transforming PET into valuable platform chemicals and materials in upcycling processes. Enhancing PET hydrolases' catalytic activity and efficiency through protein engineering strategies is a priority, facilitating more effective PET waste management. Efforts to create novel PET hydrolases for large-scale PET depolymerization continue, but cost-effectiveness remains challenging. Hydrolyzed monomers must add additional value to make PET recycling economically attractive. Valorization of hydrolysis products through the upcycling process is expected to produce new compounds with different values and qualities from the initial polymer, making the decomposed monomers more appealing. Advances in synthetic biology and enzyme engineering hold promise for PET upcycling. While biological depolymerization offers environmental benefits, further research is needed to make PET upcycling sustainable and economically feasible.

Generating Multi-Carbon Products by Electrochemical CO2 Reduction via Catalytically Harmonious Ni/Cu Dual Active Sites.

Despite the unique advantages of single-atom catalysts, molecular dual-active sites facilitate the C-C coupling reaction for C2 products toward the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR). The Ni/Cu proximal dual-active site catalyst (Ni/Cu-PASC) is developed, which is a harmonic catalyst with dual-active sites, by simply mixing commercial Ni-phthalocyanine (Ni-Pc) and Cu-phthalocyanine (Cu-Pc) molecules physically. According to scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) data, Ni and Cu atoms are separated, creating dual-active sites for the CO2 RR. The Ni/Cu-PASC generates ethanol with an FE of 55%. Conversely, Ni-Pc and Cu-Pc have only detected single-carbon products like CO and HCOO- . In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicates that CO generation is caused by the stable Ni active site's balanced electronic state. The CO production from Ni-Pc consistently increased the CO concentration over Cu sites attributed to subsequent reduction reaction through a C-C coupling on nearby Cu. The CO bound (HCOO- ) peak, which can be found on Cu-Pc, vanishes on Ni/Cu-PASC, as shown by in situ fourier transformation infrared (FTIR). The characteristic intermediate of *CHO instead of HCOO- proves to be the prerequisite for multi-carbon products by electrochemical CO2 RR. The work demonstrates that the harmonic dual-active sites in Ni/Cu-PASC can be readily available by the cascading proximal active Ni- and Cu-Pc sites.

The Application of an Extracellular Vesicle-Based Biosensor in Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Chemoresponsiveness in Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer (OVCA) is the most fatal gynecological cancer with late diagnosis and plasma gelsolin (pGSN)-mediated chemoresistance representing the main obstacles to treatment success. Since there is no reliable approach to diagnosing patients at an early stage as well as predicting chemoresponsiveness, there is an urgent need to develop a diagnostic platform for such purposes. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are attractive biomarkers given their potential accuracy for targeting tumor sites. METHODS: We have developed a novel biosensor which utilizes cysteine-functionalized gold nanoparticles that simultaneously bind to cisplatin (CDDP) and plasma/cell-derived EVs, affording us the advantage of predicting OVCA chemoresponsiveness, and early diagnosis using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. RESULTS: We found that pGSN regulates cortactin (CTTN) content resulting in the formation of nuclear- and cytoplasmic-dense granules facilitating the secretion of sEVs carrying CDDP; a strategy used by resistant cells to survive CDDP action. The clinical utility of the biosensor was tested and subsequently revealed that the sEV/CA125 ratio outperformed CA125 and sEV individually in predicting early stage, chemoresistance, residual disease, tumor recurrence, and patient survival. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight pGSN as a potential therapeutic target and provide a potential diagnostic platform to detect OVCA earlier and predict chemoresistance; an intervention that will positively impact patient-survival outcomes.

ROS-generating alginate-coated gold nanorods as biocompatible nanosonosensitisers for effective sonodynamic therapy of cancer.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) emerges as a promising non-invasive alternative for eradicating malignant tumours. However, its therapeutic efficacy remains limited due to the lack of sonosensitisers with high potency and biosafety. Previously, gold nanorods (AuNRs) have been extensively studied for their applications in photodynamic or photothermal cancer therapy, but their sonosensitising properties are largely unexplored. Here, we reported the applicability of alginate-coated AuNRs (AuNRsALG) with improved biocompatibility profiles as promising nanosonosensitisers for SDT for the first time. AuNRsALG were found stable under ultrasound irradiation (1.0 W/cm2, 5 min) and maintained structural integrity for 3 cycles of irradiation. The exposure of the AuNRsALG to ultrasound irradiation (1.0 W/cm2, 5 min) was shown to enhance the cavitation effect significantly and generate a 3 to 8-fold higher amount of singlet oxygen (1O2) than other reported commercial titanium dioxide nanosonosensitisers. AuNRsALG exerted dose-dependent sonotoxicity on human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro, with âˆ¼ 81% cancer cell killing efficacy at a sub-nanomolar level (IC50 was 0.68 nM) predominantly through apoptosis. The protein expression analysis showed significant DNA damage and downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, suggesting AuNRsALG induced cell death through the mitochondrial pathway. The addition of mannitol, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, inhibited cancer-killing effect of AuNRsALG-mediated SDT, further verifying that the sonotoxicity of AuNRsALG is driven by the production of ROS. Overall, these results highlight the potential application of AuNRsALG as an effective nanosonosensitising agent in clinical settings.

Exploring the therapeutic efficacy of Chlorella pyrenoidosa peptides in ameliorating Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the neurodegenerative disorders, the hallmarks of which include deposits of extracellular beta-amyloid (Aß) as well as intracellular tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) tangles. With disease progression, neuronal apoptosis combined with cerebral atrophy occurs, leading to cognitive impairment and long-term memory loss. Recently, Chlorella species have been identified as a functional food and are being explored for the prevention of various diseases widely studied to prevent or treat many neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, we for the first time investigated the neuroprotective effects of Chlorella pyrenoidosa short-chain peptides (CPPs) i.e. <1 kDa, 1-3 kDa, 3-10 kDa, and >10 kDa on the in vitro and in vivo neuronal injury models. Our in vitro results showed that CPP with a molecular weight of 1-3 kDa and 3-10 kDa could elevate the survival rate of Aß1-42 or l-Glutamic acid-injured N2A cells. These treatments also inhibited Aß and tau NFTs in N2A cells and prevented progressive neuronal cellular damage by suppressing inflammatory cytokines such as PGE2, iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α, COX-2, IL-1ß, TGF-ß1, and NF-κB. Further, our in vivo Aß1-42-induced AD mice model demonstrated that 1-3 kDa or 3-10 kDa CPP could improve spatial cognition and learning memory. We also observed a decreased cell loss ratio in CA1-CA3 hippocampal regions. Taken together, our findings imply that CPPs may exert their anti-AD impact through anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid activities via reducing APP and tau NFT.

Feeding Spray-Dried Porcine Plasma to Pigs Improves the Protection Afforded by the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) BA71∆CD2 Vaccine Prototype against Experimental Challenge with the Pandemic ASFV-Study 2.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of feeding spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) on the protection afforded by the BA71∆CD2 African swine fever virus (ASFV) vaccine prototype. Two groups of pigs acclimated to diets without or with 8% SDPP were intranasally inoculated with 105 plaque-forming units (PFU) of live attenuated ASFV strain BA71∆CD2 and, three weeks later, left in direct contact with pigs infected with the pandemic Georgia 2007/01 ASFV strain. During the post-exposure (pe) period, 2/6 from the conventional diet group showed a transient peak rectal temperature >40.5 °C before day 20 pe, and some tissue samples collected at 20 d pe from 5/6 were PCR+ for ASFV, albeit showing Ct values much higher than Trojan pigs. Interestingly, the SDPP group did not show fever, neither PCR+ in blood nor rectal swab at any time pe, and none of the postmortem collected tissue samples were PCR+ for ASFV. Differential serum cytokine profiles among groups at vaccination, and a higher number of ASFV-specific IFNϒ-secreting T cells in pigs fed with SDPP soon after the Georgia 2007/01 encounter, confirmed the relevance of Th1-like responses in ASF protection. We believe that our result shows that nutritional interventions might contribute to improving future ASF vaccination strategies.

Is Circulating Vitamin D Status Associated with the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism? A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

BACKGROUND: Although vitamin D is antithrombotic, associations between serum vitamin D status and the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain inconsistent. METHODS: We searched the EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases from inception to June 2022 to identify observational studies examining associations between vitamin D status and VTE risk in adults. The primary outcome presented as odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) was the association of vitamin D levels with the risk of VTE. Secondary outcomes included the impacts of vitamin D status (i.e., deficiency or insufficiency), study design, and the presence of neurological diseases on the associations. RESULTS: Pooled evidence from a meta-analysis of sixteen observational studies, including 47648 individuals published from 2013 to 2021, revealed a negative relationship between vitamin D levels and the risk of VTE either based on OR (1.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37 to 2.20, p < 0.00001; I2 = 31%, 14 studies, 16074 individuals) or HR (1.25, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.46, p = 0.006; I2 = 0%, 3 studies, 37,564 individuals). This association remained significant in subgroup analyses of the study design and in the presence of neurological diseases. Compared to individuals with normal vitamin D status, an increased risk of VTE was noted in those with vitamin D deficiency (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.33 to 3.11) but not with vitamin D insufficiency. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated a negative association between serum vitamin D status and the risk of VTE. Further studies are required to investigate the potential beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on the long-term risk of VTE.

Renoprotective Impacts of Inonotus obliquus Ethanol-Ethyl Acetate Extract on Combined Streptozotocin and Unilateral Nephrectomy-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy in Mice.

Diabetes nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common causes of end stage renal disease (ESRD) globally. Medication options to stop or slow the progression of chronic renal disease (CKD) are limited, and patients with DN remain at a high risk of developing renal failure. Inonotus obliquus extracts (IOEs) of Chaga mushroom have been shown to have anti-glycemic, anti-hyperlipidemia, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects against diabetes. In this study, we examined the potential renal protective role of an ethyl acetate layer after water-ethyl acetate separation from Inonotus obliquus ethanol crude extract (EtCE-EA) from Chaga mushrooms in diabetic nephropathy mice after preparation with 1/3 NT + STZ. Our data showed that treatment with EtCE-EA can effectively regulate blood glucose, albumin-creatinine ratio, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, and it can improve the renal damage in 1/3 NT + STZ-induced CRF mice with an increase in concentration (100, 300, and 500 mg/kg). In the immunohistochemical staining test, EtCE-EA can effectively reduce the expression of TGF-ß and α-SMA after induction according to the increase in the concentration (100 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg), thereby slowing down the degree of kidney damage. Our findings demonstrate that EtCE-EA could provide renal protection in diabetes nephropathy, possibly due to the decreased expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 and α-smooth muscle actin.

The Characteristics of the Metal-Free and Non-Conjugated Polymer Film with Self-Assembled Nanoparticles.

It is shown in this paper that a polymer, MA-PEG 1000-DGEBA (MP1D), exhibits antireflection, substrate-dependent photoluminescence (SDP), wide band-gap, and photoconduction characterization. MP1D was synthesized from maleic anhydride, polyethylene glycol 1000, and bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. Self-assembled nanoparticles embedded in MP1D film and ranging from 2.5 to 31.6 nm are observed, which could be expected as scatterers to enhance light trapping and extraction. The size of the nanoparticle increases with the concentration of the MP1D solution. Besides solution concentration, the nanoparticle dimension could be modified by the chain length of polyethylene glycol in the polymer synthesis. The effects of solution concentration, annealing temperature, annealing period, and substrate on the photoluminescence (PL) of MP1D films are examined. Increasing solution concentration increases PL intensity. However, aggregation-caused quenching is explicit as the solution concentration exceeds 100 mM. PL intensity increases with annealing temperature, which could be attributed to crystallinity improvement. PL intensity increases with increasing the annealing period from 0.5 to 2 h. Nonetheless, as the annealing period exceeds 2 h, PL quenching is emerging, which could be due to aggregation. It is expected that MP1D could be a promising candidate for host materials and MP1D film could play a multifunctional role (antireflective and light-trapping functions) in optoelectronics.

Identification and genomic characterization of Baculovirus penaei in Litopenaeus vannamei in Taiwan.

Baculovirus penaei (BP), the causative agent of tetrahedral baculovirosis, causes the death of penaeid genera at the larval and post-larval stages. BP has been reported in the Western Pacific, South-East Atlantic, and the State of Hawaii, but never in Asia. The clinical features of BP infection are non-specific, and diagnosis relies on histological and molecular methods. In the present study, we report the first identification of BP infection in a shrimp farm in Northern Taiwan in 2022. Histopathologically, several tetrahedral eosinophilic intranuclear occlusion bodies were observed in or budding out of the nuclei of the degenerative hepatopancreatic cells. In situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction confirmed tetrahedral baculovirosis infection caused by BP. Sequence alignment of the TW BP-1 with the USA BP strain reported in 1995 revealed 94.81% identity in the partial gene. The possibility of the emergence of USA-like BP in Taiwan highlights the importance of further epidemiological investigations on the prevalence and impact of BP in Asia.